Wedding

[Malachai09gal<3]

Malachai nodded, he knew Lucrisha was lucky this time; "yes Isaac, praise god, praise the lord!!". Meanwhile in the barn, Lucrisha found a suitcase and began packing, knowing that she had put her life at risk by her shriek of blasphemy, she became nervous as she packed as much as she could within the time she had, ten minutes later, she ran out of the barn tears streaming down her face, her wrist was hurting from where the blade had cut her, however her shoulder was basically red and bits of her dress were torn, she cried softly as she ran out of the barn, she ran as fast as she could trying to escape the cornfield, she was almost there, all until she ran into a small blond boy who looked the age of four; "Nahum? What are you doing here?" she asked trying to sound sweet, the little blond boy looked up at her; "why are you running away? Are you playing hide and seek?" she smiled and nodded;
"yeah, with Malachai and Isaac, you cannot tell them you saw me okay? Because that's cheating" the little blond boy nodded he then noticed her shoulder bleeding; "your bleeding, I can fix it up" he cleaned and bandaged the cut up, then gave her a hug, she smiled at him;
"thank you Nahum, I better go and keep playing, now remember, do not tell Malachai or Isaac where I am okay?" he nodded and went on with what he was doing, Lucrisha smiled and left.

[Bunny]

Nahum, he wouldn't have to tell Isaac where Lucrisha was.

The bride in her haste had evidently forgotten one thing: even though she wished that He Who Walks Behind the Rows did not stalk through the cornfield, that did not make it true.

And He Who Walks Behind the Rows allowed Isaac the knowledge of her escape.

His voice, as sweet and mellifluous as always warned him, Lucrisha has taken her things, and has begun a flight from this Holy Land, for she judges my judgment and finds my eternal wisdom unworthy.

So take you her life, and spill her blood. And let it wash upon the Earth.

For I am the Almighty.


---
Isaac managed to hide his pleasure when he repeated the Lord's vision to Malachai.

OOC: meh post, I guess...but I'm getting sleepy. >.<

[Dot Dot Dot]

Ruth hadn't risen from her position when the ceremony uniting Rebekah and Damon was carried out, and she hadn't intended to either, until Isaac left. She figured getting up might cause his attention to stray to her, and -- again, she had little proof besides her own personal anecdotal evidence, but she was almost certain that every sacrifice to He Who Walks Behind the Rows had had Isaac's cold grey gaze fall onto him. Or her.

So, it had been best to stay put, so she had thought. But before Isaac could excuse himself and dive into the corn, Malachai and Lucrisha had approached him, demanding yet another wedding. Ruth loved weddings, she did, but her legs were getting tired and she was even more terrified of Malachai than Isaac.

Things went from bad to worse for the young ginger eight-year-old. Knives were drawn, Isaac was tossed around by Malachai (Ruth didn't know who to cheer for), and, ultimately, Lucrisha was sent broken and bleeding in a mad flight away.

And the child hated to see blood. It made her stomach churn and whatever she had eaten earlier want to escape. She held it all back, however, until she heard Isaac report to Malachai that He Who Walks Behind the Rows (He wHo Walks Behin the Rows! He was scarier than Malachai and Isaac combined and multiplied by one-billion-gazillion! Though she wuold never speak these thoughts aloud) ordered Lucrisha's death.

She couldn't help it. She cried out, "I don't gotta watch, do I?!"

[Malachai09gal<3]

Lucrisha was almost out of the field till she felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Malachai; "Malachai I've had enough of this, I've gotta get out of here!" Malachai's gaze on her was cold, he grabbed her upper arm and lead her back to the clearing; "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? I thought you loved me" she said this through tears, Malachai tried not hear the pain in her voice, trying to fulfill his duties in bringing her back so she could be given to HWWBTR. as they reached the cornfield, Malachai turned her around, gripping her shoulders tightly; "go, Isaac was going to give you to Him! Leave Gatlin before it's too late, forget this place, never remember me, just leave now!" Lucrisha was petrified, she looked at him, her eyes wide, she didn't want to leave, she knew that he didn't mean to cut her, and she'd overreacted, but now she was in danger, she looked at Malachai; "I don't want to leave you" she'd spoken softly, he cupped her face and kissed her, ordering her to leave and to never return.
He returned to the field, knowing his life was now shortend and that he'd broken the law, but he loved Lucrisha more, more than anyone knew, even more than following the rules of HWWBTR, he came back to the clearing where he saw Isaac, Ruth, Rachel and Amos;
"she got away Isaac, long before I could get near her"

[Bunny]

Malachai's words still hung in the air. Isaac felt a thorn-sharp piercing of concern dig into his heart

"You allowed her to escape?" he queried, staring up at his former-right hand, unable to mask his disbelief. "Do you realize the plague you have brought upon us? If Lucrisha flees this happy place and - " He broke off, here, and inwardly reprimanded himself. Lucrisha wouldn't escape. For the Lord would take care of her. She could not leave by way of road or she would be seen.

She could not escape through the cornfield or He Who Walks Behind the Rows would have her punished justly.

"We must pray that she takes for the road," Isaac said after a moment's deliberation. "If she does so, one of our warriors can dispose of her. If she flees through the corn, the Lord will take her life. And he will demand retribution for having to take his own sacrifice." He raised his piercing blue gaze to meet Malachai's. "Are you willing to pay this debt?"

[Malachai09gal<3]

Malachai's gaze down on Isaac was just as cold; "what if I choose to sacrifice myself? The Lord may take my life and spare Lucrisha's" he knew that he was pushing Isaac further, getting more angry, but he didn't want Lucrisha dead; "either take my life and spare Lucrisha's, or forgive her, if not, then I will hunt her down myself, and take her life" he looked down as he said the last part feeling guilty, afraid of what Isaac would think, he held his knife and placed the blade on his wrist, ready to cut.

[Bunny]

"Lucrisha must be hunted down," Isaac reasoned. "If she is not, and the Lord is required to do so himself, He will demand retribution for our negligence. Hunt her," he ordered. "If you fail to offer her, the Lord will make sacrifice onto himself. If that happens," he paused for effect, narrowing his eyes, "then Lucrisha will not be alone in death on this day."

Malachai's weakness had not been foreseen. His arm had weakened when it came to his intended; he could not, or rather would not, strike her down.

Isaac knew this. So still, for the sake of keeping face before the child Ruth he attempted to conjole Malachai. "Lucrisha's blood will spill one way or another, either by your sword or by the Lord's Will" he reasoned. "But you can save yourself."

[Malachai09gal<3]

Malachai obeyed Isaac, once again returning to the cornfield with his sword this time to slash the throat of his just newlywed wife: he didn't want to do this, however it was in His will, and Malachai himself knew that taking Lucrisha's life himself may have been easier.

Lucrisha was almost gone from this hateful place, she loved Malachai too much to cut him out of her memory completely, she cried heavily as she quickened her paste, she made it onto the main road near the sign that read in big, bold, white letters 'WELCOME TO GATLIN' she looked both ways trying to figure out which path would be safer, as she was about to take the next step, someone (or something) grabbed her shoulder, it was Malachai;

"Malachai? What are you doing here? I thought you wanted me gone..." Malachai had taken his blade out, he had his left arm wrapped tightly around her waist and his right hand, gripping firmly on the blade to her throat, he was ready to slash her throat then and there, the moment was there, Lucrisha knew he was too comitted in serving HWWBTR, so comitted that he'd never love someone so much that he'd stop serving Issac and HWWBTR.

The blade just touched her skin, she was breathing deeply, shaking too, though she knew that this was bound to happen, dying in the arms of someone she once loved wasn't originally part of the plan, Malachai had the blade barely touching her skin, he was ready to slash her throat, he wanted too, but he knew too well he could never hurt Lucrisha, even if he wanted to he couldn't, even if he didn't kill her at this very moment, her blood would still be spilled on the soil by HWWBTR;

"Malachai, please...you don't have to do this, we can runaway together and live a different life, get away from thes stupid, worthless laws, they mean nothing to me, none of it does, runaway with me...." she felt his warm breath on her neck and his strand of red-ish hair brush against her cheek, she looked at him, and they kissed with more passion.

[Bunny]

Seconds clicked by like hours; minutes like days, as the boy-preacher waited for any sign of Malachai - or, from He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a sign for Malachai, be it a judgment for life or death.

Isaac hadn't predicted this. He had expected that the new, softer Malachai that had just been introduced would have weakened at the thought of striking Lucrisha dead. And then, He Who Walks Behind the Rows would have demanded the red-head as sacrifice.

In one fowl swoop, both He Who Walks Behind the Rows and Isaac would have their lust for Malachai's blood satisfied. For, now that Malachai was out of sight and Isaac, for lack of a classier term, was safely out of stabbing-range, the boy preacher was able to safely stew in his own pot of boiling rage. What crime had Malachai not committed?

He had struck against the giver of His laws. He had apparently fallen in love with an infidel. He had struck against the giver of His laws. He had objected to Isaac's slicing his palm as the wedding ceremony dictated. He had struck against the giver of His laws. Then, he refused to strike Lucrisha down; instead allowing her to escape.

And he had struck against the giver of His laws, too. Isaac, though he wouldn't admit it, was surely particularly displeased with that sin.

But still, when Malachai had been reminded that Lucrisha's blood would be spilt regardless, he retreated back into the corn to look for her. Had his love for her really waned so quickly? Isaac had expected the red-head to object, to be rebellious, to ---

Maybe he had. The Lord was not speaking to him regarding this matter. Perhaps he wanted Isaac to discover where Malachai's loyalties lay for himself.

"Ruth," he turned to the young girl still shivering on the ground. "Trace Malachai's footsteps. Return to me and say unto me whether he has strayed from the blessings of the Lord. No!" He corrected himself before the girl could leave. If Malachai had grown treacherous, then it would be necessary to eradicate him swiftly. "If he has strayed, run to the communal homes, and gather the warriors of the Lord to take his life."

[Dot Dot Dot]

The redheaded girl's neck shot upwards so she could meet Isaac's eyes even as she kept her position of kneeling on the ground. At first she had been worried that he had recalled her earlier spilling of the holy vegetables and was about to tell her to hop on the cross with the Blue Man or some such order. But what he required of her was much more frightening.

She wanted to object. She opened her mouth to object, and her tongue curled to shout, 'No way Jose!' But she didn't because she couldn't. Isaac spoke for the Lord. If Isaac wanted her to spy on Malachai, than He Who Walks Behind the Rows wanted her to spy on Malachai. But why He who Walks Behind the Rows couldn't just spy on him himself was a different matter.

Questioning the Lord is a sin, she reminded herself as she soundlessly rose to her feet and dove into the corn where she had seen Malachai disappear to. She didn't really know where to go from there; she supposed the Lord would assist her.

And she didn't know whether or not the Lord assisted her if she was just plain-lucky, but soon she was standing (plainly in the open. Spying was not Ruth's forte) right before Malachai and Lucrisha exploring each other's mouths. With tongues. She couldn't contain it. Even though Malachai terrified her, even though Isaac surely would count that as betraying the Lord and would want her to run to the huts, she instead stood rooted to the ground and exclaimed: "Ewe!!"

[Malachai09gal<3]

Lucrisha broke the kiss and quickly turned around; "what was that? I think someone's watching us" Malachai stood in front of her holding his knife out; "it's Isaac, his sent somebody to spy on us and see if I've killed you" he looked at her; "well, do it then" she walked towards him with her wrists out; "kill me, if that's what your God commands" Malachai looked at her, she was starting to irratate him now, he walked upto her and cut her soft, pale cheek, she turned away from him, covering the mark he'd cut her, it was bleeding, she sobbed quietly; "I am not going to kill you, I will return you to the clearing...Isaac can deal with you" she tried running away, but she tripped, Malachai bent down next to her and pierced the blade of his knife deep into leg, drawing blood, Lucrisha screamed and cried out in pain.

Malachai grabbed her by the hair and lead her back to the clearing, til they saw Ruth in the field; "Ruth, what are you doing here?" he knew she was afraid of him and he knew that she was a spy, he gave her a cold stare

[Dot Dot Dot]

There are many ways to react when caught in such a state of unrestrained terror. Or rather, when getting down to basics, there are two ways to react when caught in a state of unrestrained terror.

Fight.
Or flight.

Malachai was huge. Ruth was eight years old, and even then, she was regarded by most of her peers as small for her age. The older boy easily towered over her, looked like he both wanted to tear her in two, and, more alarmingly, looked like he could.

Fighting was not an option.

Fleeing was. Sorta. But then there was again Malachai's height. His legs alone encompassed her entire body. He would catch her in an instant, and that would be the end of Ruth's story. He Who Walks Behind the Rows seemed neat and all - when he wasn't terrifying - but she wasn't ready to meet him yet.

So she spoke the truth.

"Um, Isaac -- he, he wanted me to see if you'd um, if you'd follow the lord's will or you're own." She gulped, but then continued, relieved that she had lived to even speak another sentence. "So he sent me to spy. But..." she nodded at Malachai who still had a firm grip on Lucrisha's hair. "Looks like you've made your decision. Way to go!" She offered him a half-hearted thumbs up.

[Malachai09gal<3]

Malachais cold gaze was still on Ruth; "return to the clearing and tell Isaac Lucrisha remains unharmed, however she is captured and her blood will be spilt" Lucrisha tried to scream but Malachai covered her mouth with his hand

[Dot Dot Dot]

Ruth nodded as Malachai spoke, and tried to keep her gaze firmly on Malachai's. However, try as she might, her eyes kept straying towards the captured Lucrisha. The terror in Lucrisha's eyes was likely only rivaled by the fear coursing through Ruth's veins.

Yes, it's fear, it's fear! Ruth told herself. It is not guilt, nor pity. I feel nothing for this blasphemer!

But in direct contrast with her very own thoughts, Ruth felt an undeniable wrench at her heart. Lucrisha was about to face just what Ruth was most terrified of: sacrifice.

"Um," she remembered that Malachai had given her an order, "I will do that." She swept him a low curtsy. She turned to go and make the report to Isaac, but stopped. She turned around. "Malachai...you're not...you're not gonna hurt -- " She almost said Lucrisha, but quickly corrected herself. Lucrisha would suffer. But she wasn't going to leave her sentence unfinished. Remembering her earlier curiosity she asked, "Isaac, are you? You're not gonna hurt Isaac?" Malachai had looked ready to kill him earlier.

[Malachai09gal<3]

"that is none of your concern Ruth, return to the clearing and give Issac the message, I will return within a few moments" he looked at the small girl, Lucrisha looked at Ruth, as tears streamed down her face; "Malachai I don't understand, you were everything I wanted and now-" and cut her shoulder, she screamed as the blade went skin deep.

Lucrisha saw the way Ruth was looking at her, she felt sorry for the poor child, though her life was at risk, she was still deeply in love with, no matter how much pain he caused her (literally), she had cuts and bruises all over her body, Malachai had her by the hair, but had loosened his grip